The Worth in the Wells
by mandyTbickerson
Summary: The story of Adam Worth and H.G. Wells. With special appearances by the five and other historical figures. Stays canon with the timelines of both shows and plays on things that were never specified.
1. Prologue

**Hello! This is my first serious fanfic. I don't remember how I got the idea but it just came to me and I went with it. Hope you enjoy! :D**

**notes: I put the date and location in bold so make sure to pay attention. Sometimes I may jump weeks or years, so make sure to read the dates!**

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**September 2010- Warehouse 13**

"She's going to be fine, Claudia." H.G. Broke the awkward silence that had fallen between the young apprentice and herself. "I assure you."

Claudia looked up and asked something that would have sounded completely insane had she had any other job. "So... where'd you go when you used your time machine?" Seeing as she was talking to the actual H.G. Wells, she was sure it was somewhere _really_ cool. "Um, mani/pedis with Cleopatra? Snog with _Casanova_." She said with a mischievous look in her eye.

"Paris, 1899." H.G. said in a way that suggested the memory wasn't a happy one. Claudia couldn't help her curiosity; "Why?" she asked, though she was sure she wouldn't like the answer.

After a slight pause, and in a pained, forced voice, H.G. continued; "That's... uh... that's where I had arranged for... my daughter, Christina, to spend the summer with cousins." Claudia's heart fell, this was not going to be a happy story. "I was away a great deal. Single working mother, to use today's parlance. One day Christina awoke with a fever. Sophie, the housekeeper, had her stay in bed. Um... the men who came to rob my cousin's home were expecting an empty house. Sophie tried to fight them, but there were too many. She survived but...um... Christina-" She stopped. She couldn't say it out loud and Claudia didn't need her to.

They stood there in silence, the 150 year old author and the barely 20 year old techie. Claudia knew there was nothing she could say to comfort her and instead tried empathy. "I imagine losing a child is the worst pain a person can go through."

Without hesitation H.G. replied; "No, actually." Her features darkened and her voice took on a tone of emtpy pleasure. "When I tracked them down, what I did to the men who killed my daughter." Claudia had never taken the saying "if looks could kill" seriously before now. The look on the older woman's face was terrifying. Claudia understood Artie now, H.G. Wells as not to be underestimated. "That's the worst pain a person can go through."

**November 2010- Abandoned warehouse**

"You could have saved her. You could have saved my daughter. Instead you left us with nothing." Helen leaned against the wall, taking in his words. She closed her eyes and he spoke again. This time his words struck a wound that would never fully heal. "I heard about Ashley. Tragic isn't it? Losing a child."

**Oxford- September 23, 1883 3:11pm**

He didn't hear her approach him. Wouldn't have even known she was there if she hadn't spoken.

"Dear Lord, Adam." He broke from his complex equation to look at her. "Looks like the formula for some kind of toxin." That was an understatement. "Just, uh, some scribbles. Well," he said hopefully, "am I in?"

After a depressing pause, and a remorseful expression she replied; "You are a brilliant scientist." He already knew the answer before she continued, "You don't need us."

He was desperate now. "No, you don't see. You need me. You _need_ me!" He said this much more forcefully than he had intended and it showed on Helen's face. "I'm sorry, I just... I belong with you, Tesla, and Watson. I'm one of you."

"You will have an amazing career, Adam. But we're heading on a different path."

_'Helen Magnus, always the diplomat'_ thought Adam. "What did I do to turn you all against me? I can help!" Her expression did not change. Hadn't he proved he was just as smart as the others? "Let me help." He spoke softly, unable to hide the desperation in his voice.

"I'm sorry Adam." She tried to sound sincere but he could hear the pity in her voice. Without another word she turned and walked away. He turned back to his equation but found he no longer had the will to finish it. Angrily he threw his chalk to the ground, the little pieces flying everywhere.

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**This is just a little set up chapter. Just so you know where I got the idea. The rest will be completely original and set mostly in the past. It's the story of Adam Worth and H.G. Wells. I've kept things canon, I just filled in the holes.**


	2. Ch 1: HG Wells

**Here's the first chapter. I wrote the first two chapters a while ago when I was really rusty at writing. I'll try to update every Saturday (I'll be writing Friday nights). Enjoy! :)**

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**Oxford- September 23, 1883 3:41pm**

Adam didn't know where he was going . He just walked. He had to distract himself. How could they reject him? He was just as smart as James and Tesla. Probably smarter than Druitt and the other one. And Helen. Hadn't he proved himself to her? Who was she to judge him? "Who does she think she is?!" He hadn't meant to say it aloud , but his rage had gotten the better of him. He looked around quickly to see if anyone had heard his little outburst. Luckily, most students were in class so the hallways were empty.

As he looked around something on the wall caught his eye. Hanging by a nail was a small piece of parchment r that read:

Oxford University presents:

"An Afternoon with Author H.G. Wells"

23 September 4:00pm

Biology Building (East)

H.G. Wells, author of the biology textbook assigned to most freshmen. Just another one of Oxford's "honored" guests. It wasn't that he didn't respect authors, his best friend was an author, it was that authors of textbooks were overrated. Facts are facts, anybody could write them down. However, Adam was in desperate need of a distraction and listening to Mr. Wells' "presentation" just might do the trick. He looked down at his watch. If he ran fast enough he just might make it to the east building in time.

**4:02pm**

Adam reached the room and quietly slipped inside. Lucky for him the room wasn't crowded and he was able to quickly sit down without disturbing anyone. Oxford's head of biology, Dr. Vincent Aaldenberg, was standing at the front of the classroom. He looked around the room, then down at his watch. He walked to the back of the room and closed the door. "Well, it seems as if all those who intended on being here are here." He reached the front of the classroom and turned around excitedly. Professor Aaldenberg was a tall, thin man with black hair and piercing gray eyes. Adam had never taken any of his classes but from what he had heard from others, Professor Aaldenberg was very energetic and a bit eccentric. It was rumored that he had once eaten some sort of beetle just because one of his students had claimed beetles "taste like chicken." Apparently they don't.

"It is my very great pleasure to introduce a young man who is as skilled with the pen as he is good-looking." There were a few light chuckles from the audience. "He is the author behind the textbook many of you use on a daily basis. And I managed to get out of him that he's currently working on some new material which I'm sure will be wonderful." He smiled brightly. "Well, that's enough talking from me. Without further ado, I present, Mr. H.G. Wells." Aaldenberg, dramatically flourished his arm towards a man sitting in the front row.

Wells stood up and gave a short introduction. Adam was already tuning him out. It wasn't that he had no interest in Mr. Wells' presentation, he just had too much on his mind to really care or concentrate. Instead he took to analyzing the presenter's appearance. Mr. Wells was fairly tall (although compared to himself, everyone was fairly tall). He had a round face, brown hair, and matching brown mustache. He paced back and forth speaking of the effect certain toxins have the human brain. It was easy to tell that Wells was a non-fiction author by the way he spoke. It sounded scripted, as if he had practiced his speech in front of a mirror for hours. Adam glanced around the room at the other students. He recognized a few faces here and there, but most were people he had never seen before.

One stranger was particularly odd to him. A woman sat in the front row. Adam didn't know how he had missed her. This woman had dark brown hair that was neatly pulled into a intricate up-do. She wore a dress made of a gray/blue material. She didn't seem to care much about the presentation. In fact, she seemed more interested in the presenter. Her lips moved in sync with Wells', as if she too had been rehearsing for hours. Adam was somewhat used to the idea of university educated women. However, he only knew of one woman studying at Oxford and this was definitely not her. He had the feeling that this woman was not here to learn. Perhaps she was a fan of Wells'?

Wells finished the first half of the presentation with some sort of joke and said something about a brief intermission. Adam continued to watch the mysterious woman who had rolled her eyes at his attempt at humor. He hadn't really noticed he was staring until he saw her staring back at him, a small smile playing on her lips.

Adam quickly looked away.

Not quickly enough.

Before he had time to think she had gotten up and was walking right toward him.

"You do realize that a photograph would last much longer and not require nearly as much dedication." Adam was taken aback and surprised at her boldness. He really wasn't sure what to say to her. She cocked her head slightly. "Come now, you spend the better half of an hour staring at me and you can't even manage to tell me your name?"

"W-what? Oh... er, sorry" He stammered. "My name is Adam. Adam Worth. It's a pleasure to meet you Miss-?" he looked her expectantly. She didn't say anything. Just continued to look at him with her warm brown eyes. "Ar-are you a fan of Mr. Wells, here?" Adam asked her.

She laughed. "You could say that. He's my brother. I accompany him when he travels. You could say I'm his good luck charm. That is if you believe in such things as luck." She flashed him her dazzling smile again. Something about this woman reminded him very much of Helen. Helen, the woman he was so infatuated with but knew he would never be good enough for her. No, she was interested in men like Druitt. What did she even see in him? He didn't have near the intellectual capacity of Adam. Suddenly he could feel the rage building again. If he wasn't careful he could have another outburst, this time in front of a room full of people (not to mention Miss Wells). Before he knew what he was doing Adam had jumped up "I'm sorry. I have to leave." She looked at him, clearly surprised at his sudden announcement. He turned to leave. She quickly grabbed his hand "Wait, before you leave. My name's Helena. Helena Wells." He just looked at her for a second, turned around, and practically ran from the room.

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**Historical note: H.G. Wells did write a biology textbook: "Text-Book of Biology" in 1893. I altered the time a bit so it would fit the timeline of the shows :)**


	3. Ch 2: Robert

_**A/N: Chapter 2! It's time to meet Adam's best friend/roommate from Oxford :)**_

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_**Oxford University October 9, 1883 (Men's Dormitory)**_

"And her eyes! I've always fancied blue eyes, but hers... They were just so..."

"Perfect. Yes so you've said more than a dozen times." Robert finished. Adam could talk of nothing but is encounter with Helena Wells. That and his experiments of course. No woman, not even Helen Magnus, could keep Adam from plotting his next scientific inquiry.

"Could you keep quiet for two minutes and tell me what you think so far?" Robert said impatiently. He and Adam had been roommates for the last two years and he had grown accustomed to Adam's long winded talking. The two also happened to be best friends.

When Adam had first arrived at Oxford he had a hard time keeping a roommmate for more than 3 weeks. He had once accidentally set the dormitory's drapes on fire. Another time (and a different roommate) he had brought one of his lab experiments to the room only to have his roommate mistaken it for some sort of alcoholic beverage. The poor guy had turned a strange color green and had to spend the rest of the term home. It was luck that brought Adam and Robert together. Luck and distain for a member of a certain group Adam so longed to be a part of.

**_/flashback/_**

**_Oxford university September 12, 1881_**

_It had been a few days after the incident with the drapes and Adam was in jeopardy of being expelled. He had been warned by the Dean himself that if one more roommate incident occurred he'd have no choice but to expel him. Adam didn't understand why he couldn't just live alone, it'd be the most beneficial to everyone. But he didn't question the Dean, instead he nodded and quickly ran to his next class._

_Adam sat in Chemistry class listening to the professor drone on about Mendeleev's table of elements and the exciting addition of an element with "great potential". Chemistry was Adam's favorite class. The hands-on part, that is. He wasn't much of a fan of the lecture part. In fact, he was confident that he could teach the class better than Professor Lawrenson, a suggestion that had gotten him in trouble in the past. At that moment the elderly professor turned away from the chalkboard indicating his lecture was coming to an end._

_He addressed his class with the usual" Does anyone have any questions?" When no one moved or spoke Professor Lawrenson signaled that they may start creating the compound he would be grading as the semester's mid-term._

_There was a slight bustle and clinking of beakers as the students eagerly gathered supplies. Adam had a permanent station in the classroom (away from everyone else) and never had to worry about fighting others for the best supplies. The true reason Adam loved Chemistry class so much wasn't because he enjoyed the boring and structured lesson dictated by the the University. No, he spent the practical part of class testing his own chemical compounds. Nothing dangereous of course. He was fairly confident that he was close to creating a concoction that would cure the user of baldness. He had just started working when an all too familiar voice spoke._

_"Professor. I have a question."_

_James Watson, of course. Adam listened as he went on about some mistake in Professor Lawrenson's lecture. James, Helen Magnus and the rest of "The Five", as they cleverly named themselves, were the golden students of Oxford to which all others were compared. Adam longed to be a part of their elite, self-made group. He felt anger start to rise in him. He was not one to anger easily and rarely lost his temper, but there was something about the Five that caused Adam to lose control of his emotions. He would never admit it but he was jealous of them. He had never been great at making friends and the bond between the five of them was something yearned for greatly._

_Watson was still going on when he was suddenly cut off by some sort of small explosion. A man with scraggly brown hair was staring at the mess that had been a tidy chemistry station seconds before. He had evidently combined two chemicals that ought not be combined. All eyes were staring at him. He seemed to realize this because his face and ears had turned a very bright red._

_Before Adam could stop himself, he burst out laughing. All the eyes that had been on the poor man were now staring at Adam. Professor Lawrenson and James were staring too, a dumfounded look on James face. This made Adam laugh even harder. After a minute or two Adam managed to control his laughter. The Professor recovered from his initial shock and quickly dismissed the class so he could clean up the mess made by the scraggly haired man._

_James seemed disappointed he would not be able to show off his intelligence and quietly retrieved his belongings. Adam was the last to leave. When he entered the hallway he noticed the man who had just blown up his chemistry station sitting on the floor with his knees up and his head in his hands. Adam paused for a minute, unsure of how to proceed. He awkwardly walked toward him._

_"Um, you okay?" There was no response. He waited a second then decided to leave. He really had no idea what he was doing when it came to socializing._

_"Why?" Adam had just turned to leave when the man finally spoke._

_"S-sorry?" Adam replied._

_"Why'd you laugh at me?"_

_"Um... well... you see, I wasn't really laughing at you.." Adam said._

_"Could've fooled me."_

_"No, you don't understand." Adam paused again, unsure if he should continue. He didn't trust anyone but there was something about this guy that he really liked. He sighed and continued. "The thing is.. that Watson fellow-"_

_"You mean the smartest student in the entire University?"_

_"Matter of opinion, but yes." Adam said irritably. "I'm not a huge fan of his and your little... accident turned out to be much more interesting than anything he had to say. You really should have seen his face. It was-" He stopped. The man was staring at him. Then without warning he burst out laughing. Adam was very taken aback by his reaction but recovered quickly as he too started to laugh. Neither of them knew how long they laughed but when they had both recovered Adam held out his hand to help the man up from the floor._

_"I'm Adam Worth." he said with a very charming smile. The man got to his feet and returned the smile._

_"Robert. Robert Stevenson. It's a pleasure to meet you."_

_"Trust me, the pleasure is mine. Any man who manages to shut up the perfect James Watson is an alright fellow in my opinion. I hope to see you around much more." Adam shot him another smile and turned to leave._

_"I know we've only just met but do you happen to know where I might look for a roommate? I've been looking everywhere but no one seems interested."_

_And that's the story of how Adam Worth and Robert Stevenson became roommates (and best friends)._

/end flashback/

"I've already told you a hundred times; I'll gladly read what I'm sure is a brilliant idea, _if _you go to the lab with me." Adam said, picking up a crumpled piece of paper and tossing it up in the air.

"We've spent every night this week in the lab!"

"Your point?" Adam said with a grin as he continued to catch and throw the paper in the air.

"My point," said Robert, grabbing the paper from him mid-air, "is I'd like to spend some time doing something other than playing with some chemical compound that could result in me losing both my eyebrows, or _worse_." He moved to his desk and begin packing his papers into his bag.

"Don't be so dramatic. I'm really close to a breakthrough." Adam watched as his friend put on his coat and quickly went to put his on as well. "Where we going?"

"_I'm_ going to the library. You can go to the lab but I need some peace and quiet so I can make some real progress with this." He indicated the mass of papers he was stuffing into his bag. He turned and walked out the door.

Adam huffed and sat down on his bed. He couldn't help as his thoughts drifted to a woman with the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen.

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**Reviews?**


	4. Ch 3: Silver

**Here you go! Sorry about no chapter last week. I was sooo busy with Christmas prep. I should have a fairly consistent schedule now. New chapters will be posted Saturday.**

**A note about this chapter: For the purposes of this fic, "The Time Machine" has already been published at this point. Only "The Time Machine"**

**Hope you enjoy! Review! :)**

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**Oxford Library October 9, 1883 12:07am**

Robert sighed frustratedly, crumpling another piece of paper and throwing to the ground.

"Having a bit of trouble with something?" A sharp, female voice echoed across the nearly empty library.

Robert looked up, startled. He was unaccustomed to anyone being in the library at this hour, let alone a woman. "Y-yes, actually. Writing a novel is a completely infuriating task." The woman laughed knowingly.

"An author? Written anything I would know?"

It was Robert's turn to laugh. "No, no. I haven't been published. Not yet, at least. I'm hoping this could be my big break." He held up the papers he had been working on.

"May I?" The woman asked, holding out her hand. Robert pulled his papers closer, hesitantly. He had doubts this newest novel would be of any success, but also was weary of letting strangers read his work lest it be stolen. "I'm terribly sorry, Miss...?

"Wells."

"_Wells?_ As in Helena Wells?" Robert suddenly became very interested in this mysterious woman. He set his papers aside, standing up to face her.

"Have we met, Mr...?"

"Robert. Robert Stevenson. And not me. My roommate, Adam Worth. It's a pleasure to _finally_ meet you, Miss Wells." He reached down and took her raising it to his lips and kissing it gently. "I've heard a great deal about you."

She smiled. "I don't suppose you'd reconsider letting me read your novel. I have experience with best selling novels and could be of help to you."

Robert thought about it. She was the brother of best selling author, H.G. Wells. She could talk to him on his behalf. Perhaps she, through her brother, could help him in getting his novel published. This was an exciting idea, though a bit nerve-wracking. What if she didn't like his writing?

"You've read all your brother's works, have you not?"

She chuckled as if she knew something he did not. "You could say that."

"And what does _that_ mean?"

She looked down for a moment as if contemplating what to do next. Sighing, she looked up at him again.

"Can I trust you, Robert Stevenson?" He nodded. She looked around and took a step closer to him. His first instinct was to take a step back but he stayed put, feeling goosebumps prickle his skin at her closeness.

"My brother isn't the writer. I am."

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**Adam's Lab 12:07am**

Adam carefully held a beaker over his current concoction. He needed one or two drops. Keeping his hand steady he tilted the beaker, watching its contents get closer to the edge. It was almost to the end when the door to his lab opened, startling him and causing his hand to slip. Before he stop he had poured half the liquid into the carefully calculated mixture. A small explosion went off right in his face. He coughed, angrily looking to see who had caused the disruption.

"What the hell were you-" A very disheveled looking H.G. Wells stood in the doorway."

"I-I'm sorry, sir. This campus is very confusing and I'm afraid I got lost." He looked terrified. Adam had a hard time surpressing his laughter at the man's behavior.

"It's alright, Mr. Wells. No need to look so frightened. With the creatures you think of, you'd think it'd be a bit harder to startle you." Adam chided, running his hand through his hair, groaning when he felt his lack of eyebrows. The young author looked confused for a moment. "Your book. Those creatures. Er... Morlock."

"Right! My book. Of course." He looked at Adam enthusiastically. Adam thought he was acting strangely. It was as if he didn't know his own book. Like...

"You do know your own book. You wrote them, didn't you?"

After a moment Wells bowed his head.

"If not you, who?"

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**Oxford Library 12:32am**

"_You?"_

Helena smiled proudly.

"But... how? I mean, you're... you're.."

"What? A woman?" She laughed bitterly. "Very observant." She looked at him and his cheeks flushed red. "I've always been interested in science. Since I was a little girl. But girls aren't supposed to be interested in such things. Society's view of a woman's place did not keep me from my studies, no." She walked around the table and sat in Robert's chair. "I studied in secret, sometimes dressing as a man to avoid any ridicule. Then I started writing. First, I wrote the textbook. Utter rubbish. Fiction is my true love but that's getting ahead of myself." She shuffled his papers around, scanning them. "I was actually laughed at when I tried to publish that textbook, you know. It was then I knew I could never be taken for a serious author. That's where my dear brother came in." She laughed again, twirling a piece of her hair between her fingers. "Apparently my brother was breath of fresh air in the world of academic literature. Then, "The Time Machine" came out and he was labeled a revolutionary." She looked up at him with deep brown eyes, holding up a few of his papers. "This really is quite good, you know."

Robert had been in a trance as he listened to her talk. She was a truly extraordinary woman. It was no wonder Adam was so taken with her. "Really? You like it?"

"Yes. This Gold fellow is most inriguing. You could have a real hit on your hands."

Robert felt his cheeks get hot. He had never had his work praised by someone so remarkable. This woman was the actual H.G. Wells and she liked his novel.

"Well, Mr. Stevenson. I really must retire for the evening. Tell your roommate I said hello. Goodnight." She turned to leave.

"Wait. Miss Wells." She stopped. "Do you have any suggestions for my book? Something that might make it better?"

She turned to look at him, smiling thoughtfully.

"Gold. It doesn't suit him. Try using Silver. Adds more character." Without another word she turned and left the library.

Robert watched as she left. He let the name play on his tongue.

"Silver."

He quickly fumbled through his papers until he found the one he was looking for. He wrote quickly, smiling at how well the name fit.

_'He had hobbled down there that morning, he said, to get a smell of the salt. I was monstrously touched-so would you have been-and, out of pure pity, I engaged him on the spot to be ship's cook._

_Long John Silver, he is called.'*_

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**There it is. Hope you liked it!**

***_Treasure Island is the work of Robert Louis Stevenson. Not me. I don't claim his writing as my own._**


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